When you’re researching an important purchase decision, few things can be more frustrating than not being able to find helpful answers to your ไquestions.

And if there is one question that I’ve heard people complain aboꦇut the lack of quality answers, it’s those꧋ related to how much a product or service costs. 

Regardless of what product or service it is we’re talking about, you’ll often find tons of content on its benefits, on how it compares to other options,✤ which of its kind are the best, and all kinds of other questions. 

But when we look on a business's websites for how much it cos🍨ts, we’re met with the equiv🧜alent of a shrug emoji ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) and a button to contact the company for a quote.

168极速赛车平台:What in the actual frick?

Why do I need to call you to get an estimate? Why🌼 can’t you give me an idea so I can decide if that phoℱne call is even worth my time?

Why does this lack of transparency around cost still persist in many industries and by many 🧜businesses?

For over half a decade, I’ve been working with content managers to develop their content marketing strategies.

Arguably the mos💞t important part of their strategy is to eliminate any confusion their audience may have about the products and services their compan🤪y sells.

This is especially true when talking about cost.

From B2B to B2C, 𝔍national to local, products to services, all of these businesses have their own unique offerings.

And while most would argue that they have unique p🍌rospects and customers, I can attest that the majority of their prospects have similar qཧuestions they need answers to before buying anything.

If you’ve followed IMPACT for any a⛄mount of time, you’ve undoubtedly heard us talk about IMPACT partner Marcus Sheridan’s book, . 

If so, you’ve probably also heard us mention 168极速赛车平台:The Big 5 blog topics.

If you ha𒁃ven’t, let me sumꦬmarize for you real quick. 

The Big 🤪5 are questions nearly every buyer, regardless of industry, want answered before the꧙y make a purchase. These are questions that help them decide which solution is the best fit for the problem they’re experiencing.

Of The Big 5, easily the most important topic you could possibly address on your website is cost.

People have a lot of questions about the vari🌸ous costs of your products and services.

So why not answer their questions about cost?

Why should you address cost on your website?

I’m glad﷽ you asked. Even our case study clients that now rave about their cost article♍s were once skeptical about addressing cost.

But, there are three major concerns most businesses have when it🐭 comes to writing about cost on t𝕴heir website.

(If you’re already on board with writing a cost article, go ahead and s🦩kip down 🍬to “How to write the perfect cost article” section)

1. Addressing cost builds trust with readers

At the 🌸top of this article, I mentioned how frustrating it can be when people struggle to find the answers to their questions.

This is especi꧒✅ally true of cost questions. It often feels like the only way to get answers to cost questions is to speak directly with salespeople, but this can also lead to people feeling like they’re being pushed to close a deal when they’re just trying to gather information.

When we write blog articles explaining cost and put pricing pages on ou♚r websites, we give prospects the honesty and transparenc🍬y they’re looking for.

Giving answers to questions without asking for anything in return goes a long way towards build🌠ing trust with people. 

And when people view our organization as trustworthy, they’re more likely to want to buy from us.  

2. Help people understand the many factors that influence cost

There are a lot of factors that can influ♛ence the final price of your product or service. Writing an article that gives an exact figure is next to impossible.

But 🌠here’s the thing: When people are researching how much something costs, many understౠand there’s not a one-size solution for all (although some may believe there’s a one-price-fits-all solution). What they’re really wanting to know are what those factors are.

Take IMPACT client , ꦅa pole barn builder, for example. 

Let’s say you wanted a new pole barn on your property to store all of your farm equipment. You have a rough idea of what you’d like, but you’re nꩲot sure of the size you’d need, the design of the building, what permits you’d need, or wha🔜t finishing touches you’d like.

To help you narrow your options, you’d want to know what factors could be the difference between an affordable pole barn and one completely out of your league, and you’d most likely wꦅant to know these things before engaging with a salesperso𓂃n.

FBi Buildings answered the question with “” which has now been read by over 35,000🤪 pole barn shoppers (who knew pole barns were so ෴popular?).

And all theꦇy had to do was break down the top five factors that impact the cost of a pole barn.

3. If you don’t address cost, someone else will

Frankly, if youꦿ don’t write a cost article, someone else will.

While many businesses continue to shy away from tough questions, a growing number of companies recognize the value of answering their audience’s pressing questions.&nbs༺p;

When I first got started creating content, it was of꧒ten hard to find cost articles in 🤡clients’ industries. The door for ranking quickly and high up on Google was wide open for cost content. 

I could often get people to write a halfway decent answer and watch them skyrocke﷽t to the top of Google search results in a matter of weeks. 

However, we’ve been promoting cost articles for several years now, and many businesses have lis♓tened.

It’s no longer enough to simply be willing to address cost, now you have to haꦛve a fantastic answer to the query to have a chance at ranking.

(Don’t worry, we’ll talk about the best practices fo𒊎⛦r writing cost articles shortly.)

In the meantime, please don’t get discouraged from writing a cost article, even if the market is saturated with answers. These articles aren’t just meant for d⛄riving traffic to your website (although that is a huge bonus). 

In fact, they’re best used in the sales process as pieces of 168极速赛车平台:assignment selling, whereby you proactively send a༺nswers to questions you know your prospects will bring up shortly.

There are different types of “cost” articles

Another really important consideration when it comes to c𝓀o♊st articles is to not get stuck on that word, “cost.”

Most people think when I say to write cost articles that I’m only asking them to write topics like or (who hasn’t se🅺arched for both of those queries this week?).

But cost isn’t ju🍌st one question people have. 

It’s a cluster of related topics. 

For example, when I worked as a cᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚontent manager foওr a sleep clinic, I wrote an article addressing the (written in 2014, it’s still on the first page of Google, but please don’t judge it by today’s standards. Like I said, you used to be able to get away with so-so answers).

But what I discovered was that what people really wan𒁃ted to know about the cost of sleep apnea testing was if their insu🐭rance would cover it. 

That’s  why I followed my cost artꦿicle up with oꦅne addressing . 

Most clients I work with have to write several cost articles targeting queries dealingಞ with insurance, warranties, fines, hidden fees, and several others. 

How to write the perfect cost article

Okay, now that we’ve covered all the reasons you’re going to write a cost article and discussed the different types, we can get down to business on how to write a cost article.

To really put buyer’s worries at ease, there are important considerations to take into account when framing a cost article.
Let’s dive into them.

1. Consider all questions that need to be addressed

You’re probably tired of💖 hearing me say, “there aওre many factors that influence the final price.”

I feel the same way, but I say it so much because that’s really the meat and potatoes of your blog article, and he🌠re is where we put that into practice.&n✅bsp;

Once you pick which product or servi🔴ce to write about, I want you to list out those various factors.

If it’s a product, these factors may include:

• Base rates for the product
• Accessories, features, and add-ons
• Labor included to build/manufacture/create the product
• Cost of installation
• Cost of shipping 
• Package deals
• Any other factors that influence the cost of your particular products (take some time to make sure you include as much information as possible).

If it’s a service, these factors may include:

• Type of service
• Time to complete service
• Cost of materials
• Cost of labor
• Installation costs
• Additional rates, fees, taxes

Once you have the topic clearl𓆉y fleshed out, and the points you wish to make, you’re ready to sta🔯rt writing your first cost article.

2. Hook your reader with an intro that resonates

The intro is where you ♛hook the reader. If you can quickly show them that you know who they are, that you understand their problem, and that you can help them solve their problem, they may just keep on reading. 

Fail to connect with readers in the intro, and there’s a slim chance they’ll read the rest of the 🃏article.

Fire & I▨ce Heati🦩ng and Air Conditioning’s cost article, is a great example.

If you were aꦐ homeowner🐭 whose A/C unit just stopped working during the peak of summer, you’d probably be freaking out a bit. 

Naturally, your main wo🌌rry is how much it will cost to replac🦂e.

This intro simply con🦄nects with the fear and worry you have, acknowledges how big of a decision it is, and promises to cover every factor that affects the final price of an A/C system.

For more tips on how to write powerful introductions (and really, any aspect of a blog article, check out our 168极速赛车平台:Blogging Tips for Content Marketers.

3. Dive into the details with the body of your article

The bod😼y of the article is ℱwhere you put together the bulk of the information you’ll present.

The body should be split up into clꦓear sections to make the content easy to scan. Therefore, you’ll want to use headers to give people signposts as to what you’ll be discu🐬ssing for the next handful of paragraphs. 

For cost articles, we alre൲ady talked about how you’ll want to address each factor that impacts the cost.

A🍸n easy way to structure most of your blog article is to use those major factors as your headers, then give the explanation beneath. 

If those sections﷽ need to be broken down further, great, use additional subheadings to continue breaking complex topics down into digestible chunks.

L🐟et’s look at just a sm🅘all section of the HVAC replacement article. 

If I asked 𒁃you, what are the major factors di🍒scussed in the screenshot above, what would your/ answer be?

Yeah, you’d probably say, “ductwork modifications and c൩ondensate drai🍬nage.”

That’s because the sections are clearly labeled using headers and  the copy following each header relates specifically to that factor. I’d also encourage y🌄ou to visit the entire page and scroll through the article. 

Ask your🙈self, “do I feel like this article will answer✤ how much an HVAC system costs to replace?”

While scrolling, pay attentionꦿ to the headers, the paragraphs, the bolded text, the links, the images, and bullet points. All of these elements give cues to help you decide whether or not the article is w☂orth reading in full. 

So what do you think? Doe🦄s the article pass the scroll test? Would you go back to the top and read the article in its entirety, or would you go back to Google in search of a better answer?

4. Give them next steps with your outro

The intro convinced people to give your article a shot, and the body showcased your expertise by breaking down the complex factors into easy to understa🀅nd sections.

By now, readers shoul💦d have a solid understanding of the different determinants that can affecꦆt cost. So what do you do with an outro?

The outro should serve two major functions:

• Give them a real idea of the cost
• Let them know what they need to do next

Blog article outrಞos are not like the conclusions of your college essays. They’re not meant to just summarize everything you just learned. Instead, any blog outro should address at least one of these three questions your reader is asking🃏 themselves:

• So, what?
• Why now?
• What’s next?

For cost articles, the best question you can help answer for them is “what’s next?”
Now that they have a firmer idea of the general costs associated with their problem, what is the next step they should take? Are there other pieces of content they should read? Should they reach out to businesses to ꦰget quotes or schedule consultations?

Help your readers understand their next best move, and if you’re able to help them further, make it known to them how you can continue to be of s🍎ervice. 

Let𝄹’s look one last time at the A/C replacement article to see how they wrapped up their blog.

It’s a pretty simple conclusion, really. First, they admit it’s hard to pinpoint an exact figure b﷽ecause there are so many influences. 

However, they also let readers know that at least now they’re better armed at aꦅsking th♏e right questions during a sales call and they should be better equipped to make informed decisions.

Finally, they g🐻ive a sales pitch of their own🐟. The let readers in the Columbus, Ohio area know that if they need further help, they can schedule an in-home estimate with them.

5. Write your title

Once you have finished your article, it’s time to refine your title. Ofte𓃲n, the best titles are those that closely match the query people use to search or one that mirrors their intent.

You can do keyword research using tools like 168极速赛车平台:SEMrush, play around with Google search aut♎ocomple꧒te, or simply ask your sales team how people bring it up then use tools to refine that choice.

Thওen, craft a title that directly reflects wꦍhat they want to know. Consider how people will search, and what they'll want to find.

Your title could end up as simple as: “How Much Does [SERVICE X] Cost? A Breakdown of Common P🧸rices and Plans.”

Th♓e reason you should ti🥂tle articles this way is because this will be how most people type the cost inquiry into a Google search bar.

Some search terms may vary, but most of the time, if someone wants to know the cost of a product, they’re going to enter: “Hᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚow much Does X Cost?”

In the second part of the title, consider t♋wo things:ꦏ other ways they may phrase their search and what they'd like to see.

We do this because we have up to 70 characters we can use for a title before it gets cut off on a results page. With this extra space, we can help provide more context into what ♈we’ll be covering in the article. 

For exa🌳mple, ourജ friends at Sheffield Metals wrote an article answering how much metal roofs cost.

For their title, they went with .

The first part of the title💦 goes aft🌸er the main question verbatim. 

The second part helps toꦬ give a sneak preview of what’s inside the artic﷽le —the factors that influence price, the considerations you’ll need to weigh, and even some examples to help paint a clear picture.

6. Optimize your URL

Another small, but important piece of your articlꦐe is the URL.

Crafting your own custom 🗹URL is a best practice because it’s something search engines will look for when determining the validity of your article.

I prefer URLs that are shortened versions of the title. I believe they’re best 🦋when they’re reduced down to their essential elements while stﷺill giving context to what the page is about.

Accꦆording to a article written by Rand Fishkin, search engines don’t have trouble processing longer URLs (unless they get a bit too long over 100 characters), but , understand, as well as copy and paste to share on social or embed in articles. 

For the metal roofing article, ဣthe final URL is not: .../what-is-the-cost-of-a-metal-roof-factors-considerations-and-examples.

In﷽stead, it’s boiled down to: /lear🐼ning-center/metal-roof-cost-price 

If yo꧟u’re not sure what to remove from your title to craft a winning URL, here’s a few things you can easily remove:

• Prepositions, pronouns, dates, numbers, adjectives, and conjunctions can often be taken out for brevity.

In the end, you simply want a short, sweet URL that still captures the essence of your article while cutting do✅wn on all the fluff.

7. Write an effective meta-description

Once again, we wanꦿt to have control over what appears on a search engine results page rather than leave it ꩵup to your blog tool.

A lot of businesses🎃 neglect to create unique meta descriptions because they don’t have the SEO impact that other elements of an article have. However, what meta descriptions lack in direct SEO value, they more than make up for in search click-through rates (an indirect SEO factor).

On a search engine results page, you pret൲ty much have three elements to base your decision of which page to click on: titles, URLs, and meta descriptions.

Think of meta descriptio💯ns like the inside jack🧸et of a hardcover book. You picked up the book because of the title or the artwork, but the short copy on the flap helps you decide whether to ring it up or put it back on the shelf.

That’s the job of the meta description: to entice you to click on the article by giving you an idea of w༺hat to e🎐xpect if you do.

We’ve found through many tr🐻ials that there’s a pretty easy way to create meta des☂criptions that improve click-through rates.

Try using a simple question and tease-the-answer format.

You sta🌟rt with a question that aligns with the inquiry a searcher is asking themselves, 🧸and you follow up with a snippet of an answer.

First, they see their query mirrored back at them. And any keywords they use in their search that༺ you have in your meta description will appear in bold (to make it leap off thꦚe page).

You’re limited on the number of characters you can use in a meta description. While meta description length💙s can vary, most will appear at 160 characters or less. So anticipate getting truncated around 160 characters.

So, what does this look like? Here is an example of an effective meta description for a cost 💧article:

“Are you looki𝓀ng for answers on how much ghost hunters cost? In this article, we discuss the various factors that influence the price of hunting ghosts such as...”

If you counted, that title is 160 characters exactly; right around ☂the number before Googl🎀e will truncate it. 

I rephrased the question, included my keywords, mentioned what the article will discuss, and made it seem as if they almost got the answer, but they’r꧃e now going to have to click on our article to get the full expla❀nation.

What else should I be writing about?

Alright, so that ♈was 💫a LOT of information to take in about cost articles. 

The reason I wrote so extensively on this topic is because these articles are the most important pieces of content you can create for your business. 

I can’t stress enough how valuable it is for you to tackle these topics and 🃏tackle them w﷽ell. 

If you're wishing you had even more examples of cost articles to review, check out my article, 168极速赛车平台:12 top-ranking cost article examples. I've broken the examples do🍎wn for both B2B and B2C as well as products and services. 

Once you write your𒐪 amazingly informative cost a🌠rticle, you’ll probably wonder what comes next, what other pieces of content should you create?

Getting back to 168极速赛车平台:The Big 5 blog topics, we have more articles detailing why you ওshould write eacജh of these articles and the nuances to consider for each.

• 168极速赛车平台:How to write about your competitors
• 168极速赛车平台:How to write a product review 
• 168极速赛车平台:How to write a problems article
• 168极速赛车平台:How to write a comparison article

And to take things beyond The Big 5, here is a list of other important topics to address on your blog and across your website, 168极速赛车平台:17 Business Blog Topics.

Good luck on your cost articles! If you want more help creating pages that discuss pri𒀰cing and costs, we have an article dedicated to 168极速赛车平台:examples of pricing pages that you should check out.